Smoking pipe



J. P. MARTIN SMOKING PIP! Sept. 5, 1933.

Filed July 14, 1930 INVENTOR Patented Sept. 5, 1933 PATENT OFFIE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to smoking appliances, particularly tobacco pipes,'but may also be applied to other types of smoking tubes such as cigar holders and cigarette holders.

The ordinary smoking pipe is so constructed that the smoke is discharged into the mouth always at practically the location 'in the mouth notwithstanding the fact that the pipe may be moved from one side of the mouth to the other. The point of discharge is usually closely adjacent the tongue and the roof of the mouth. The continued impingement of the smoke at these points plus the slight seepage discharged from the pipe onto the tongue from time to time produce an irritation.

Moreover, the ordinary pipe as now generally made has a straight bit. A person having natural teeth finds no difficulty in retaining the pipe in the mouth, but a person whose teeth have been removed or who is using artificial teeth, has considerable diiiiculty in getting a sufiicient bite on the pipe to permit it to be held in the mouth unsupported by the hand.

A further disadvantage of the present day pipe is the fact that the straight open end permits the flow of saliva into the stern of the pipe where it absorbs a condensible material from the smoke, resulting in the accumulation of a mass within the pipe that stops the smoke passage, occasionally discharges into the mouth, and frequently has to be cleaned out. Pipes have been devised having traps between the stern and the bowl for the collection of condensate, but such pipes do not prevent the entrance of saliva from the mouth into the stem, and this collects in the pipe much more rapidly than the very small amount of condensate which mixes with it.

According to the present invention there is 7 provided a smoking appliance having a bit so constructed that the smoke is discharged into the mouth cavity laterally instead of against either the roof of the mouth or the tongue, so that less irritation from this source is produced. The bit is further so constructed that the pipe may be readily retained in the mouth unsupported by the hand by a person having artificial teeth or having no teeth, and be more comfortable to any smoker than the present type of bit. The bit is further so constructed as to substantially exclude the seepage of moisture into the stem. Consequently, the interior of the stem keeps dry, as without saliva the amount of condensate collected in the stem is negligible, with the result that the pipe needs cleaning much less frequent- (Cl. 131l2) 1y than a pipe of the present type, even where it is equipped with a trap.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section 0 through-a pipe embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the stem;

Figure 3 is a transverse section in substantially the plane of line III-III of Fig. 2;

Figure l is a similar section in substantially the plane of line Iv -1v of Fig. 2;

- Figure 5 is a similar section on the plane of line V-V of Fig. 2; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a screen which is preferably used between the end of the stem and the entrance to the bowl of the pipe.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawing a straight pipe, it will be understood that the invention is applicable to other shapes and designs of smoking tubes, and to pipes hav- 5 ing curved stems.

In the drawing, 2 designates the bowl oi -a pipe and 3 is the stem made in accordance with my invention. The stem has a bit portion The bit portion is developed by turning the end of the tapering stem upwardly and inwardly toward the bowl of the pipe so that the extreme tip of the stem lies against the top of the stem. This may be clearly seen in Fig. 1. Passing through this bit portion is a transverse passage or eye 5. The smoke passage 6 in the stem turns upwardly in the bit portion 4, making almost a complete convolution before it opens into the transverse passage or eye 5. The point where the smoke passage opens into the transverse passage 5 is designated 7 in Fig. 1.

When the stem is inserted in the mouth, the front portion 8 of the bit engages behind the upper gum, while the top of the nib may rest against the roof of the mouth. Consequently. it is not necessary to bite on the stem with very much pressure to hold the pipe in place in the mouth. The portion of the stem nearest the bowl of the pipe is preferably round, as shown in Fig. 4, but the stem gradually flat tens out, until just in front of the nib it is flat on the top and bottom, as shown in Fig. 5. This flat surface enables the stem to be held without rotating, even though the pressure exerted on it is relatively light.

As indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, the smoke instead of discharging from the end of the pipe, discharges from the sides into the cavity of the mouth. The smoke therefore cannot 110 impinge directly against the tongue or against the fact that the smoke passage turns through a vertical loop, saliva which enters the transverse passage 5 cannot seep up through the opening '7 in through the smoke passage.

The arrangement of the mouth-piece makes the process of cleaning the smoke passage more difficult than the cleaning of a straight passage. Consequently, I prefer to employ a smoke screen at the end'of the stem between the stem and the bowl. and shown in detail in Fig. 6, preferably. comprises a perforated thimble having openings in the side walls as well as the end thereof.

This perforated thimble has a friction fit inside the stem of the pipe, and its inner end abuts against a shoulder on the inside of the stem at 10 to prevent the thimble from being forced back into the stem. This screen prevents any particles of tobacco escaping from the bowl from entering the stem and lodging therein. .Since solid particles of tobacco cannot get into the stem, and since saliva cannot get into the stem to mix with. condensates, and since the smoke passage 6 is made of larger cross-section than usual, the pipedoes not need to be cleaned as often as an ordinary pipe. As azmatter of fact, the smoke .passage in the stem will be substantially dry and slightly discolored after several weeks of use, indicating that saliva is more of a nuisance than condensate. When it is necessary to clean the pipe, which can be done easily by running water through it, the screen 9 can be cleaned by holding the end of the pipe stem under a faucet without even removing the thimble from the stem.

It will be noted that the diameter of the opening through the stem of the pipe at the point of juncture with the body of the pipe is much larger than the diameter of the smoke passage through the pipe itself. The opening atthe point of juncture with the body of the pipe is round and relatively large. This smoke passage gradually decreases in its vertical dimension, but widens out laterally; and at the bit portion of the pipe it is relatively, wide and relatively fiat in cross-section. This provides a smoke passage through This screen, designated 9 in Fig. 1'

the stem of relatively large proportions throughout and one which cannot readily become obstructed. This is a desirable feature because the passage cannot be easily cleaned with the ordinary pipe cleaner, and is best cleaned by flushing with hot water. Moreover, the pipe will draw freely even though there should be an accumulation of condensate from the smoke in the stem. The condensate in the absence of saliva accumulates very slowly. Moreover, the increased area of the walls of the smoke passage provides for greater cooling of the smoke before it reaches the mouth.

While I have described the bit or nib 4 as made by turning the end of the stem up and inwardly, it will of course be appreciated that the stem may be molded in this form initially.

I claim:

1. In a pipe, a stem having a mouth-piece with an upwardly extending nib at the end thereof and formed integrally therewith, said nib having a transverse eye therethrough/the' stem having a smoke passage which opens into the transverse 2. A smoking appliance comprising a stem having a mouth engaging portion in the form of an upwardly turned nib formed integrally therewith with a transverse eye through said nib, said stem having a single smoke passage extending therealong, the smoke passage being vertically looped within the nib and openinginto the transverse eye.

3. In a smoking appliance, a stem with a single smoke passage therethrough, the inner end of the stern being vertically looped around to form a nib having a transverse eye throughthrough, said smoke passage opening into the transverse eye in a plane below the highest point of the loop. l

4. A smoking appliance comprising a stem having an upwardly and inwardly turned convolution at the bit portion thereofand having a transverse eye through the bit portion thereof through which the smoke is discharged from the pipe, the eye passing through said convolution in 

